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Blog

Preventing AFib: Change your life, protect your heart.

It’s that simple. Following a heart-healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib). Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

We know that older age increases the risk of developing atrial fibrillation — but that’s not all. Other major contributing factors include heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and heavy drinking.

Adopting the following healthy habits can help lower your risk for not only AFib, but also for all types of heart... Read More »

Is atrial fibrillation genetic? It can be.

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, can happen to anyone. But can it be passed down from a family member? The answer is yes.

Having a family member with AFib increases your chances of being diagnosed. Atrial fibrillation that is inherited is called familial atrial fibrillation.

Although the exact incidence of an inherited abnormality of the heart’s normal rhythm is unknown, recent studies suggest that up to 30 percent of people with AFib have a relative with the condition.

The likelihood of AFib increases with age, as well as for individuals with heart disease,... Read More »

Is aspirin enough to protect me from stroke if I have atrial fibrillation?

The answer is no, but let’s start by explaining the connection between atrial fibrillation and stroke.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is generally not a life-threatening condition, but it can lead to serious medical complications, such as stroke. An irregular heart rhythm allows blood to pool in the heart, which can cause clots to form.

According to experts, AFib patients are nearly five times more likely to suffer a stroke than those without the condition.

Back to aspirin — based on several large studies and the 2014 American Heart Association guidelines, staff at... Read More »

HMR Program Brings Great Success for Oklahoma Woman

Tammy Anderson’s husband started experiencing heart problems in the winter of 2018. During this time, her blood pressure became alarmingly high.

“Whenever my husband went in for his heart cath, his cardiologist, Dr. Arash Karnama, checked my blood pressure and after seeing the numbers, told me he wanted to see me the following week,” said Anderson.

At that time, Anderson’s blood pressure was 189/120 and she weighed 291 pounds.

“Dr. Karnama told me my blood pressure could be controlled with medication, but since I was only 53 he wanted me to lose 100 pounds,” said... Read More »

Family History Leads Claremore Man to Oklahoma Heart Institute

Vernon Anderson’s father passed away at age 54 after suffering a heart attack. Upon turning 54, Anderson wanted to take the preventative steps to make sure he didn’t end up in the same situation as his father.

“I went in to see my cardiologist, Dr. Arash Karnama, and had an EKG done,” said Anderson. “The results came back fine, but I insisted that I have a stress test done because of my family history. They didn’t think it was necessary but they were respectful of my wish to have one done.”

The day after his stress test, Anderson received a call from Dr. Karnama’s office. He... Read More »

Oklahoma Heart Institutes Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation

March 2019 marked 30 years since the beginning of Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI). In celebration of this milestone, Dr. Wayne Leimbach, one of the founders of OHI and current medical director, shared what technologies he has been most impressed with during this time and what’s he’s most excited to see in the future at OHI.

“When it comes to technology, there are many things that stand out to me,” said Leimbach. “Top of mind would be the interruption of heart attacks (myocardial infarction) with emergency opening of blocked blood vessels.”

Transcatheter aortic valve... Read More »

Care Received at Oklahoma Heart Institute Gives Man New Lease on Life

Pete Dubois was out riding his bicycle in the spring of 2016, one of his favorite hobbies, when he started feeling bad.

“I felt so awful I ended up going to the hospital,” said Dubois. “Over the next few months, I had several stents put in and then underwent an open heart procedure.”

In the years following, Dubois had numerous heart catheterizations and still experienced chest pain. He was constantly tired and unable to do any of the things he enjoyed doing.

“I was a cross-country runner, a bicyclist and a mountain climber and heart disease took all of those things... Read More »

Former Hillcrest Employee Gives Back to Community in Unique Way

Karen Langston started working for Hillcrest HealthCare System in the 1970s.

“I worked as a unit secretary for a few years, left for a while then came back in 1977 and started the radiologist technologist program that was offered at the time,” said Langston.

Upon graduating from the program in 1980, Langston began working in the Catheterization lab at Hillcrest Medical Center. When Oklahoma Heart Institute opened in 2009 with a new cath lab, she moved over there where she worked until her retirement in December 2018.

“There were only five employees working in the cath... Read More »

Minimally Invasive Surgery Brings Success for Arkansas Woman

During the summer of 2018, Rebecca Ring’s cardiologist determined that she needed to have open heart surgery to have a valve replaced. Due to Ring’s religious beliefs, surgeons were reluctant to do the surgery because she does not accept blood transfusions.

“The surgeon who initially agreed to do the surgery wanted to do traditional open heart surgery where they make the big incision down the sternum to replace one of my valves,” said Ring. “The thought of this was overwhelming since it was just to replace one valve, especially since there was mention of also replacing my aorta... Read More »

Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery Leads to Quick Recovery for Bartlesville Woman

When Leota Schlesier started experiencing symptoms that were out of the ordinary, she knew she needed to visit her primary care physician.

“My heart was racing, I had chest pains and shortness of breath,” said Schlesier. “I visited my primary care physician and he had me wear a heart monitor for 30 days. It didn’t show anything significant but he knew there was something going on because of my symptoms.”

Due to the fact that Schlesier had also had episodes of feeling faint, her primary care physician ordered a carotid artery ultrasound. “When I was leaving work on a few... Read More »